Translingual application of elastic bands is considered the most effective orthodontic means of moving teeth inwardly towards the midline of the patient's mouth. Translingual refers to the fact that the elastic band is applied from one molar tooth, across the tongue to the molar tooth on the opposite side to move the teeth inwardly. Its major drawback is lack of patient compliance due to extreme discomfort. The discomfort comes from the fact that the tongue is constantly abraded by the taut elastic band running side to side. The actions of speaking, talking, swallowing or simply moving the tongue cause enough discomfort that the patient quickly becomes discouraged and removes the elastic. Both the upper and lower surfaces of the tongue are affected and the discomfort is particularly intense on the softer lower area of the tongue and soft palette. The orthodontist is then forced to revert to alternative means of moving the teeth.
These alternative methods of moving teeth are less than desirable for two reasons. First, they are less effective than translingual bands in most cases and result in a longer treatment. Second, they also have the tendency to cause undesired movement of teeth other than those targeted and the orthodontist must often go back and correct these secondary changes. As a result, treatment is prolonged.
A typical alternative method of moving teeth is accomplished by extending the elastic bands from the outside lower molar to the inside upper molar. This method moves the lower teeth inward but may also cause motion in several undesired directions by both the upper and lower teeth. This undesired motion is called "vertical extrusion" and is one of the secondary changes that must be corrected.
The discomfort caused by the conventional attachment and use of translingual elastic bands is avoided by the present invention, which allows treatment to proceed in a time-effective and accurate manner.